Making Your Website Accessible

Get Up to $5,000 with This IRS Tax Credit To Make Your Glamping Website Accessible

BY DENISE PÁNE

Web accessibility has been a hot topic in the hospitality industry lately. You may have heard the term because of the surge in disability lawsuits among small businesses without an ADA compliant website. Or maybe it’s because of the well-known benefits it brings to a business’ bottom line.

No matter how it came onto your radar, web accessibility has become an essential investment for glamping businesses and the entire travel industry. Having an accessible website will dramatically increase bookings, enhance the guest experience and shield your organization from ADA lawsuits (as well as the hefty legal fees and PR nightmare that come with them).

If all that wasn’t enough incentive already, the IRS now offers a special tax credit of up to $5,000 for small businesses that make their website accessible.

WHAT IS WEB ACCESSIBILITY?

Web accessibility is the inclusive practice of making sure your site is usable for people with disabilities. There are over 1 billion people worldwide who have a condition that affects their ability to navigate the internet. These generally fall into visual (blindness), auditory (partial deafness), physical (trembling hands) and cognitive (autism) impairments, however, it also includes people with changing abilities due to aging and those who need assistive technology devices, such as a screen reader.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 to protect the rights of people with such conditions and guarantee they can participate in all parts of society. It’s the reason why brick-and-mortar locations are required to have wheelchair ramps and accessible restrooms. However, many business owners are surprised to learn that today these same regulations also extend online.

Web accessibility removes the barriers to interaction faced by people with disabilities. To achieve ADA compliance, sites need to be either designed or modified according to official standards. Otherwise, businesses without an accessible website are excluding those with disabilities (and a huge portion of their potential customer pool) from their services and open themselves up to expensive ADA lawsuits.

Glamping businesses already understand the importance of catering to their guests and are constantly looking for ways to better serve their clientele. Just as your staff makes physical accommodations for guests on-site, web accessibility is a way to make sure their needs are met online. Having an accessible website enhances the customer experience by ensuring that all potential guests are comfortable interacting with your brand from the moment they Google your name.

THE IRS WILL PAY UP TO $5,000 FOR WEB ACCESSIBILITY WITH A SPECIAL TAX CREDIT

Improving your website’s accessibility is an investment in your business. In the same way that a business incurs costs when installing a wheelchair ramp at the entrance of the building, there are also expenses associated with making your website accessible. That’s why the IRS introduced a special tax credit that will reimburse qualifying businesses up to $5,000 for increasing their level of accessibility.

Under IRS Code Section 44, Disabled Access Credit, you can write off up to 50% of eligible expenses for improving website accessibility and other accommodations that make your business more usable for people with disabilities. The tax credit is a great way to offset some of the costs associated with alterations to improve accessibility.

The requirements for the tax credit are simple:

• The expense needs to be between $250 and $10,000 for the taxable year for a maximum benefit of $5,000.

• Businesses qualify if they have annual revenues of less than $1 million or less than 30 full-time employees in the previous tax year.

The cherry on top? This tax credit can be used every year by businesses who continually invest in their accessibility! Get the tax credit with Form 8826, Disabled Access Credit.

LET’S MAKE YOUR WEBSITE ACCESSIBLE TOGETHER!

Web accessibility can seem like a daunting task. That’s why our team at Access Design Studio offers a 3-tiered Fix, Build and Solve approach. Whether you’re creating a brand new site or modifying an existing one, we offer several simple solutions to overcome the current barriers to interaction and achieve full ADA compliance.

Our team is composed of accredited technicians and accessibility experts who work according to official requirements. Not only will this ensure you’re granted this special tax credit by the IRS, but it will also shield your business from potential ADA lawsuits.

Get in touch for a complimentary website scan and video consultation today.

Denise Páne is the Founder and CEO of Access Design Studio, the leading expert in ADA compliant, accessible websites for the hospitality industry. A lifelong advocate of people with disabilities (starting with her own Special Olympian brother), Denise boasts over 20 years of hospitality-business design expertise, with a special focus on making websites compelling and inviting for people of all abilities.

Denise is an Accredited Accessibility Expert and a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals and the World Wide Web Consortium. Learn more about Denise at AccessDesignStudio.com.